Money Coach Maxes Roth IRA at Start of Year: 'Non-Negotiable'

Charly Stoever makes a lump sum investment into their Roth IRA each January, even if it makes up a large chunk of their income.

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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Charly Stoever, the founder of Traveler Charly Money Coaching, makes the maximum contribution to a Roth IRA at the beginning of each year, even though it makes up about 25% of their annual income. Stoever believes this lump sum strategy is better than dollar-cost averaging for capturing the full year's market gains, despite the large upfront investment.

Why it matters

Stoever's approach highlights the debate between lump sum investing versus dollar-cost averaging for retirement accounts. While dollar-cost averaging can help take emotion out of investing, studies show lump sum investing tends to produce higher returns over time when the market trends upward.

The details

Stoever, whose business has never made more than $60,000 a year, says maxing out their Roth IRA each January is 'non-negotiable' for them, as it's crucial for their retirement. They were convinced of this strategy at age 26 by a financial mentor. Stoever believes the lump sum approach is better than spreading out investments throughout the year, as it allows them to capture the full year's market gains.

  • Stoever makes the maximum Roth IRA contribution of $7,500 each January.

The players

Charly Stoever

The founder of Traveler Charly Money Coaching, who maxes out their Roth IRA at the beginning of each year.

Juan G. HernandezAriano

A certified financial planner and principal at WealthCreate in Houston, Texas, who discusses the benefits of both lump sum and dollar-cost averaging investment strategies.

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What they’re saying

“A lot of people think that it's better to drag out investing for retirement throughout the year and do what's called dollar-cost averaging. But for me, it just works better to front-load and max out my individual retirement account the first week of January in order to capture the entire year's worth of gains.”

— Charly Stoever, Founder, Traveler Charly Money Coaching (CNBC)

“[Dollar-cost averaging] is not about maximizing the returns. It's about maximizing the probability that someone will actually stay invested and continue to stay invested.”

— Juan G. HernandezAriano, Certified Financial Planner, Principal at WealthCreate (CNBC)

The takeaway

Stoever's approach of maxing out their Roth IRA at the start of each year highlights the debate between lump sum investing versus dollar-cost averaging for retirement accounts. While the latter can help take emotion out of investing, studies show the lump sum strategy tends to produce higher returns over time when the market trends upward, as it allows investors to capture the full year's gains.